What if Cruz Can’t Compete?

Tuesday January 19, 2016— After five rounds of fast paced stand up, the likes of which only Dominick Cruz and TJ Dillishaw could have put on, the UFC has a new bantamweight champion. Whether MMA fans agree with the decision or not, Dominick Cruz’s victory over TJ Dillishaw leaves only one question to be answered: how does the division stay relevant if the champion is injured?

As MMA fan knows, Cruz has a history with injuries that have kept him from performing in the octagon. In a backstage interview at UFC Fight Night Boston, we learned that Cruz went through his training camp and competed with plantar fasciitis which may or may not leave him inactive. So what are UFC matchmakers to do if he can’t compete? The answer is, give the fans what they want. If Dominick Cruz needs time off to heal, let’s have a number one contender match between two top 5 ranked guys in the division that would keep things interesting.

Before the title match took place in Boston, Urijah Faber said he wanted a title shot against the winner. He even went on to say that a match between himself and TJ Dillishaw would be an intriguing one for fans and who could disagree? Faber brought TJ into the sport of MMA, and after defeating Renan Barao for the second time, TJ deciding to leave team Alfa male to train in Colorado with Duane Ludwig. A “teacher vs student” match, as Faber referred to it between the two would give Cruz enough time to heal and keep the bantamweight division fresh in the minds of MMA fans. It also gives us a break from immediate title rematches which have kept other divisions stagnant.